Travel Blog: Dublin – Music, Books and Guinness!

Couple of weeks ago I asked you whether you’d be interested in reading some travel blogs and some of you responded positively … so here you are, reading my travel blogs because of those people! 🙂

Last year me and the fiance did quite a lot of travelling – pretty much every single month we were on holiday somewhere, so we’ve collected some photos worth sharing and also some tips for visiting each one of those places. Let’s start with Dublin!

My dear Ireland! The moment you approach its coast, you can see why they’re calling it The Emerald Isle. Beautiful and green!

From the airport we took a bus that dropped us off very close to our hotel – The Pembroke Townhouse – lovely little hotel, very cosy and clean, with great attention to detail and lovely customer service!

We had only a weekend there so we had to be quick and efficient with our sightseeing, which in the end turned out to be not as complicated as we thought – 2 days were absolutely enough to explore Dublin and pay attention to most of its beautiful places. If you’re planning to step outside of it and travel around the island – you really need more time.

First things first!

Transport: We managed to find our way around the city either by walking or cycling. Public transport turned out to be a bit useless in the city centre as Google kept showing us that it would take you more time to go from A to B via bus than by walking. On couple of occasions we decided to use the bicycles available in the city – here you can find more information about how to use them. I do wish I had my FitBit at that time so I can calculate how many steps we’d made because I must say – my legs were sore!!!

Food: The place is famous for its sea food, so if you’re a fan of lovely oysters, mussels etc., that is the place to be! I must admit I was the happiest stuffed person as I do adore sea food. But if you are not particularly fond of that range, have no worry! Guinness stew comes to the rescue! We tried out several restaurants in the city, but we kept coming back to the lovely O’Neills Pub&Kitchen. If you want to try proper tasty local food – this is the place. The range is amazing and the one mandatory thing you should try in the land of Guinness is, obviously, the Guinness stew!

Sightseeing: Dublin’s city centre offers tons of places you can visit, depending on what you like and how much time you have. I will share with you my favourites:

Trinity College Library
If you love books, this is the place to be! Absolutely fascinating place, also home to the Book of Kells. Strolling down the Long Room was without doubt the most amazing moment I experienced in Dublin. If only I could have such library at home…Reminds me a bit of the one in “Beauty and the Beast” (thumbs up if you’re a fan!).

I could have spent there hours, just keep in mind sometimes the waiting line at the entrance can be quite long – we bought fast track tickets online so that saved a lot of time.

You can’t go to Dublin and NOT visit the Guinness Storehouse!!! Make sure you go up to the Gravity bar to enjoy a drink with a view: and attend the Guinness Academy to learn how to pour the perfect pint:
In the end you’re awarded a certificate to witness that you’re fully capable of pouring your own drink (it does have its special details, no matter how easy it seems!).

Another thing not to miss is the Guinness Tasting Experience, where you’ll be able to learn a lot about the history and how this amazing brew is made…and also have some more pints:
Pretty much make sure you visit the Storehouse sober, as quite a lot of drinking is involved there. And don’t forget to visit the shop, because they have some pretty awesome bits and pieces there – not overpriced too (yes, we actually checked the prices of the items on eBay and Amazon before buying…Everybody loves a good deal!).
Make sure you allow yourself at least 4-5 hours for this place, as there is plenty to see, also if you start feeling like you need a break (…and another drink?!), they have a bar on one of the floors where you can enjoy watching Irish dances and even take part in them if you feel like it!

And last, but not least! Ireland’s oldest pub! Going back to 1198, this is definitely something you must see. The atmosphere is cosy and warm, it is full of people but not overcrowded.
They do offer live music every night, which we didn’t get to enjoy unfortunately, but technically if you decide to just take a walk and enter a random pub during the evening, chances are you will most certainly find people playing and singing there.

In general, I am absolutely in love with the people in Ireland – so much positive energy and happiness! I came back to Dublin in January this year on a business trip and I must say my first impressions were completely confirmed – lovely and welcoming place, absolutely worth visiting!

And to wrap up this little blog, here is my favourite sign from the Brazen Head 🙂 :